Become a fan of Slashdot on Facebook

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
DRM PlayStation (Games) Sony Games

Sony Introduces 'PSN Pass' To Fight Used Game Sales 291

Gamasutra reports that Sony has introduced "PSN Pass" — one-time codes that will unlock complete online access for certain games. "The company didn't offer details on how used and rental players would access online features in these titles, but did clarify that first-party use of the passes will be decided on a game-by-game basis." The initiative is similar to the "Online Pass" that EA rolled out last year, and to Sony's own experiment with SOCOM 4. Sony's explanation for the Pass will probably leave you wishing Google Translate supported marketing-speak: "This is an important initiative as it allows us to accelerate our commitment to enhancing premium online services across our first party game portfolio."
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Sony Introduces 'PSN Pass' To Fight Used Game Sales

Comments Filter:
  • Game company using this technology to restrict any access to the game whatsoever to the first buyer in 3... 2...

  • by MadTinfoilHatter ( 940931 ) on Friday July 08, 2011 @05:56AM (#36692494)

    Sony's explanation for the Pass will probably leave you wishing Google Translate supported marketing-speak: "This is an important initiative as it allows us to accelerate our commitment to enhancing premium online services across our first party game portfolio."

    Let me do the honors: "Bend over suckers."

  • by PSVMOrnot ( 885854 ) on Friday July 08, 2011 @06:01AM (#36692524)

    Yet another stab at consumer rights.

    Up until about 2010 games were considered sold since they weren't expected to be returned, and as such were subject to the first-sale doctrine. Of course then the US courts go and decide that it's all fine and dandy for EULAs to remove this right. *grumble grumble* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-sale_doctrine]

    In my day you had a disc, and that was your game. You could play it, lend it to a friend, sell it, turn it into a shuriken (though that was mostly done with AOL cds). I miss that.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by StormReaver ( 59959 )

      They're just games, so don't buy them. There are far, far better ways to spend your time. Odds are that you've already played every game on the market, anyway, just under a different name or brand.

      • They're just games, so don't buy them. There are far, far better ways to spend your time.

        They're just games, so don't buy them. There are far, far better ways to get them.

        Well, it's only been 170 [baen.com] years. I'm sure game developers get the memo any day now. Not that it matters to me, since I nowadays get most of my games from Steam, it being convenient and having a lot of cheap ones - however, a "third-party DRM" is a deal-breaker.

  • To me it seems like they are trying to double dip. If I buy a game, go online and play it for a few months, and then sell it to omeone else and they go onnlie to play, there is no difference in the server cost beyond adding that [lyers tats to the game. I'm simply giving up my reserved slot to someone else.

    It's like the Other OS fiasco again. Whe they came out with the PSN, it was free. You have the game, you go online, no fees, you just enjoy it. Now they're saying "Oh actually, now you have to make s

    • This is really, really going to suck for GameFly

    • by Syberz ( 1170343 )

      As for the markeing speak, how is decreasing the number of players available forplay enhaning the experience?

      As you said, they're not even decreasing the number of players (except if you count the ones that don't bother buying their products in the first place because of this), the 2nd hand market only maintains the number of players that they had before since the one selling is leaving and the one buying is coming in.

  • I'm just going to dust off this ball and go play outside.
  • so i'll be sticking with steam then - the games are much cheaper on there anyway

    • by PRMan ( 959735 )
      Sounds good. But I tried to play Portal 2 on my PC the other night and I couldn't because the servers were down.
      • Steam is currently participating in a DDoS attack on itself known as the "Steam Summer Sale."

        It's likely to end on the 11th, and things will return to normal.

    • by robmv ( 855035 )

      Disc based games can be cheaper too if you wait and do not buy it on day one, I buy many games at 30$ or less frequently. By the way, can I buy some of your Steam games you do not play anymore?

      People here frequently bash Sony, but be consistent, this blocking of online for second hand users is not good, keep in mind that they are not the only one doing it. In Steam I can not even play the same game with another user on the same machine without that person messing with my scores/saved game

    • So to fight back against companies who restrict your ability to sell your games used by removing multiplayer, you're going to go exclusively with a service that doesn't let your sell your games at all... that'll show 'em!
  • by Pharmboy ( 216950 ) on Friday July 08, 2011 @06:37AM (#36692718) Journal

    Seriously, why do people buy Sony products anymore? I quit when the rootkit scandal broke, and all they have done since is prove that I made a good choice. While every corporation exists to make profit, it should be symbiotic, yet Sony has clearly demonstrated they don't care about their customers, only their profits, by their deeds and their words, many times over.

    You can actually get by just fine without Sony products, many of us have for many years. We don't need Playstation (plenty of other choices), we skip buying music on their labels, we have none of their hardware, we don't buy blu-ray. It isn't that hard to go Sony-free. The only "vote" you have in the way Sony treats their customers is with your dollars. Vote for someone else.

    • Because they are one of the only 3 decent gaming consoles (2 if you only care about HD) and have quite a few good exclusives that dedicated gamers can't help but care about.

      Besides, it is unreasonable to expect that the vast majority of uninformed customer will do anything about it. Even if every customer that feels bothered by this decision stop buying, it won't be more than a scratch to their deep pockets. Even then, since you don't buy from them anymore, they won't care about what you think either. Votin

      • Because they are one of the only 3 decent gaming consoles (2 if you only care about HD)

        There are three consoles and one device that is not a console but can be used like one: Wii, Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, and Wintendo [catb.org] (a compact gaming PC running Windows Home Premium). Drop Sony and drop SDTV and you still have two different Microsoft choices.

        And then they will cry piracy.

        If people don't buy a Sony console, how can Sony claim mass copyright infringement of games that only run on a Sony console?

  • To accelerate means to make something faster. This is billed as something to accelerate something for the first-party somehow. Who is the first-party? While it does inhibit other parties, it does not accelerate anything and would seem to inhibit even first parties.

    We get it. Game companies seek to block after market activities such as rental and used sales. The success of the new PSPgo proves that their initiave is effective... right? Oh wait, isn't the PSPgo mostly rejected by the masses? I know I h

    • The first party is Sony, since that's who makes a "first party game" that uses PSN.

      Note, that they aren't god. Their predictions of the outcome of doing something can be wrong without that meaning they lied when making the claims.

    • by robmv ( 855035 )

      The failure of the PSP Go was not related with any blocking of after market activities, people are not rejecting that (I do, I prefer disc based games over online download), many people here love Steam, the masters of blocking second hand sale, even multiuser gaming on the same PC, and many others love to buy games from the Apple App Store and Android Market. The Go died because Sony did not had the infrastructure and rules to game makers to make games available on disk and as online download. many recent

  • I've translated the marketing speak into layman's terms, but I don't understand something:

    How does preventing second-hand purchase people from using online components allow SONY to more quickly make the online experience/contents better for the people who initially bought the game?

    It's not like the tech people maintaining and unclogging the tubes actually work on creating the contents...

  • Ha, I new my MBA would come in handy. This has two main points:

    "This is an important initiative ...

    Point 1:

    "We think this will make more money for our shareholders and executive's bonuses ..."

    "...as it allows us to accelerate our commitment to enhancing premium online services across our first party game portfolio."

    Point 2:

    "...We can also make the resale market less lucrative since you won't get a full game experience so a used game is worth less. We can then sell you a pass to unlock those features, w

    • by ledow ( 319597 )

      Hell, I had to translate your translation:

      lagniappe = small gift given by a merchant, apparently. Are you in Louisiana because that's apparently the only place in the entire world that you're likely to run into that word.

  • At this point people who haven't learned and are still purchasing Sony products and are still giving Sony their heard earned dollars truly deserve the shafting that Sony delivers. Sony is a company that has become downright hostile to consumer rights and to their customers. Their arrogance even in the face of the PSN being down and all the hacks is simply breathtaking.
  • Sony is like a grape, they need to get stomped until they wine. Hackers have at them, keep beating on this nuisance.
  • people will trade and use used games fully unlocked.
  • They also drop the price to 1/3 (or less) of what they used to be charging. I'll be damned if I'm going to spend $60+ on a game only to be stuck with it when I don't want it any more.

By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve. -- Robert Frost

Working...